Swiftcover Car Insurance Review
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Swiftcover car insurance may not yet be a household name. But it’s previously had big pushes on TV with ads featuring Iggy Pop and his mini-me puppet Little Iggy.
The boast: get a quote in just 60 seconds. And it’s by no means a company minnow - far from it. In fact, it’s part of insurance giant AXA. Which raises the question: why not just buy car insurance from AXA and have done with it? The reason is that, while Swiftcover is a trading name of AXA, it does offer a different proposition. 
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It began in 2005 with the aim of cutting costs by operating online only and in addition offering customers the “convenience of printing their own car insurance certificate”.
We’re not sure about the convenience aspect, but it is clear that this is all aimed at cutting costs, which should, in theory, be reflected in cheaper insurance premiums. In addition, Swiftcover car insurance makes it clear that it ONLY operates via the internet and you can carry out ALL necessary operations online, including claiming (for which there is also a phone line). So, the proposition is simple – low-cost car insurance through online efficiencies, underwritten by the world’s biggest insurance company. Obviously, if you prefer the personal touch and don’t like doing everything online, you may want to consider other providers. Swiftcover also offer home insurance as well as breakdown cover. You can see how Swiftcover stacks up using our free online comparison tool. WHEN DID YOU LAST SWITCH YOUR CAR INSURANCE PROVIDER? Compare and save over £200 |
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Swiftcover's claim
As the first 100% online insurance company offering customers a “quick, hassle-free way of buying insurance,” Swiftcover says the “whole customer experience, from obtaining a quote through to processing a claim is completed online." They don't use “expensive call centres so we are able to pass these saved costs on to our customers.” And they boast a whole string of awards on their site, from customer care to ‘most agile organisation.’ Sounds impressive, but it only adds up to a good deal if the price of the policy you’re offered is competitive. What types of policies does Swiftcover offer? The company offers a variety of policies, which boil down to two types of cover. It’s best to be clear what these cover. Third-party fire and theft This covers injury to other people and damage to other people’s cars and property. Your car will only be repaired or replaced if it is damaged by fire/theft or stolen. This level of cover also offers: courtesy car cover of up to 14 days while your car is being repaired; stolen key cover; 24-hour UK-based claims line; lifetime guarantee on fire and theft repairs (as long as you own the car and repairs are carried out by approved dealers); a dashcam discount (that’s 10% for new customers with a dashcam installed.) Comprehensive This covers the repair or replacement of your car if it is damaged or stolen, damage to other people’s cars and property, and injury to other people. This level of cover will always cost more, of course. In addition to comprehensive cover, additional benefits are: an uninsured driver promise; £5,000 of personal accident cover; replacement of lost or stolen car keys; windscreen cover; courtesy car cover; car stereo cover; 24-hour UK-based claims line; lifetime repair guarantee (as long as you own the car and repairs are carried out by approved dealers); dashcam discount (that’s 10% for new customers with a dashcam installed.) To compare Swiftcover policies, use our free comparison tool. |
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Beyond the basics
Like most insurers, Swiftcover offers a range of optional extras (before buying them, read our guide on whether car insurance extras are worth it). Breakdown There are several levels of cover. * Swift Roadside gives you roadside assistance, plus towing your car to your home, local repairer or your destination, whichever is closer, if your car can’t be fixed at the roadside, within 10 miles. * Swift Rescue will fix your car or take you home or to your destination. * Swift Rescue & Homestart has the above, plus it offers cover if your car won’t start at home. * Swift European also includes European cover. Included in all the above options, you also get: Key assistance if you lose or damage your keys; friends and relatives message service so they know how you are. Legal protection If you are involved in a car accident that's not your fault, with Legal Cover you can be paid up to £100,000 in legal fees to recover your uninsured losses from the person responsible. The legal team would aim to get your medical expenses refunded along with any excess paid. You could also get back out of pocket expenses and any earnings lost because of the accident. Personal injury Swiftcover's Personal Injury & Rehabilitation cover would pay for specialist medical care after an accident in your car. Personal Accident payments are also included with cover up to £100,000. Protect your no claims This is a standard car insurance add on these days. If you’ve had insurance for a year or more and you haven’t made a claim, you can opt to protect your discount if you do need to make one in the future. You can make one claim over a 12 month period and up to two in three years and maintain the discount. But bear in mind that making a claim will always increase your premium at renewal time, so you’ll keep the discount, but it will be on a higher price. Courtesy car Courtesy cars are standard with both Swiftcover's third-party fire and theft and comprehensive cover, but you can upgrade to receive a car of the same size as the one you own while it’s being repaired and you can extend use to 21 days instead of 14. |
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What do Swiftcover customers think?
Like most companies, there are some impressive testimonials on the Swiftcover site. Well, they’d hardly feature the bad ones! But, like all insurance companies, they also have to publish data relating to the complaints they receive. Unfortunately, though, this is data that relates only to AXA as a whole. What it tells us is that in the six months to the end of December 2016, almost 12,000 complaints were opened and almost the same number dealt with. Over half were sorted in three days or under and another 45% were closed in under eight weeks. General admin and customer service were the most common areas for complaints. And 66.7% were upheld. Which? also undertakes extensive research into customer satisfaction in its Best and Worst Car insurance table. Swiftcover placed 19th out of 31 (AXA itself placed 16th). Swiftcover scored: Customer service: four out of five stars; Transparency of charges: Three out of four stars: Value for money: four out of five stars; Customer score: 66%; Policy score: 67%; Total: 66%. We like …. We certainly rate Swiftcover’s lower than average prices. But if you’re not a person who is entirely comfortable doing everything online, this may not be your cup of tea. |
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